Dr Adnan Al-Daini

Retired University Engineering Lecturer

Dr Adnan Al-Daini took early retirement in 2005 as a principal lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at a British University. His PhD in Mechanical Engineering is from Birmingham University, UK. He has published numerous applied scientific research papers covering heat transfer, fluid flow and energy utilization in many industrial applications. He is a British citizen born in Iraq. Since retirement he has devoted his time and energy to building bridges and understanding between minority communities, particularly the Muslim community and the wider community in the South West of England. He was Chair of Devon Racial Equality Council between 2007/8. He writes regularly on issues of social justice and the Middle East. In addition to his publications on The Huffington Post, many of his articles have been published on Dissident Voice, Antiwar.com, Common Dreams and elsewhere.

Jeremy Corbyn has made the Labour party more democratic - now he needs to take the next step to make the country's electoral system more representative of the nation's views. Our first past the post electoral system is not fit for purpose and its time we moved to some form of proportional representation.

As for the Parliamentary Labour Party be thankful that Jeremy Corbyn remained your leader in spite of the appalling way you treated him. Under any other leader many of you would have been without a job. So embrace Jeremy Corbyn and win the next general election which will no doubt be coming very shortly.

We must hope that the British electorate is sophisticated enough to see through the empty xenophobic rhetoric of the Tories, and to embrace the alternative, and with it hope for a better future for all.

Here is the thing. If Theresa May can change her mind so spectacularly within months about the merits and demerits of an early general election, then we must give the people the opportunity to change their minds once the terms of Brexit are concluded. Offer a second referendum and let the people decide.

President Trump's energy policy is doomed to failure as it comes into collision with economic reality. The advance of renewable energy sources is now unstoppable. So here is my prediction: the keystone pipeline will not get built and new coal mines will not be opened in the US or anywhere else in the world.

Jeremy Corbyn wants this government to listen to his concerns regarding "<em>jobs, security, economic rights, justice</em>", yes indeed. Now put the maximum pressure on the government by allowing your MPs to have a free vote on this vital issue that will shape Britain's future for generations to come.

Fairness and justice are the pillars on which successful, happy societies are built. The present system that siphons so much wealth to the top 1% to the impoverishment of the rest is not fair, nor just. Failure to take action will result in the whole of society becoming poorer. Jeremy Corbyn is spot on; salaries of company bosses should be no more than 20 times the wage of its lowest-paid worker.

It is argued that empathy cannot be taught but could happen through our positive non-judgemental interaction with others. We need to listen and to imagine what it is like to be the other. It is always easier to interact with others if they belong to our group, and hence it is easy to empathise with them as they experience sufferings and hardships through life.

So let us be careful about the use of words. Let us accept our differences and our disagreements. We are all motivated by what we believe is best for the people of Britain, whether we voted remain or leave. Time will tell. Assigning ulterior motives to people because they are foreign-born or of foreign origin is not fair, it is divisive and dangerous. It is not cricket.

A fundamental change in the way capitalism works is essential. Cosmetic changes or just words, not backed by action, will not do. Otherwise, I fear for the cohesion of our societies with the demagogues and charlatans directing the anger and frustration of the masses, not at the economic system causing the poverty of the many, but towards the weakest, poorest and most vulnerable members of our society.

This should not be a Party political issue; providing adequate housing is fundamental to what it is to be human. It is morally the right thing to do. Moreover it is good economics too. So Prime Minister, put dogma aside, pinch this policy from the Labour Party. Start doing now what Labour is promising to do and show us in deeds "the good that government can do".

What a mess, the twists and turns of Brexit must seem bewildering to those outside Britain. "Brexit means Brexit" has been The Prime Minister's catchphrase. As catchphrases go, it is not a bad one. However, now the judges have told her that Brexit means what the British parliament says it means.

What is it with this government and fracking? They seem to be obsessed with drilling; the proven safe and truly renewable wind and solar energies are not for them. They want the earth penetrated by drilling and the injection of high pressure water, laced with a cocktail of nasty chemicals and sand, to frack the hell out of the rocks beneath our beautiful countryside.

Establishment politicians have failed to deliver for the ordinary voter. The Labour party led by a Blairite of a bygone age will be punished by the electorate and will have no chance in a general election. A Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn will have the best chance of beating the Tories if only rebel Labour MPs could see that.